Story+1999-10-25+Oakland,+CA

“(Clarence: “All rise”)… Yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah…are you ready tonight, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…yeah, yeah, yeah…yeah, yeah, yeah… are you ready tonight, people? (crowd cheers) there’s gonna be a meeting in the town tonight…” “Good evening (crowd cheers)…thank you…thanks…it’s nice to be in a building named actually after where it’s located…seems everyplace we go now, we’re sure to be in a First Bank Center or the Pizza Hut Center or (chuckles) yeah, the trend of, you know, the corporate naming of public space, you know, it’s on a roll…we came from the Staples Center…but uh…I heard that the Oakland Coliseum, that’s a goner, though, yeah, yeah? (chuckles)(an affirmative response from the crowd) that’s alright…New York City, they just re-named it “Stake and Ale City,” what can I tell you (chuckles) uh, anyway…let me think, I don’t, I don’t remember all them skyboxes being here the last time I was here (chuckles) (crowd boos) there’s too many of them (chuckles) you’re supposed to come out of your room to see a rock show, that’s (chuckles) (crowd cheers) they had ‘em down South too…that’s why I don’t come to your house, you see, that’s why we don’t play the private party circuit, you know, we, we, we try to make you come out and mix and mingle a little bit (chuckles)(crowd cheers) anyway (chuckles) a little dedication…” “Is there anybody alive out there? (crowd cheers) is there anybody in them skyboxes really alive? I don’t know, I don’t know (chuckles) …let’s find out, come on… (…) Can I have a volunteer? (does the pelvic thrust towards the crowd) thank you, baby, thank you, Sir…(sings a bit of “It’s Alright” and “Take Me to the River”) that’s right…that’s where I wanna go ...I wanna go to the river of life…and the river of love...I wanna find that river of faith…and of hope...that river of sanctification...the river of transformation...and the river of resurrection…where everybody gets a second chance...that’s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me…because I need to go with you… that’s why we’re here…because you can’t get there by yourself... you may think that you can and you try and everybody tries and they run and they hide…but in the end you can’t get there by yourself…and so I found myself as a young man…one evening I was standing before a dark grove of trees...frightened to pass through those trees...even though I knew that on the other side was the river of life...the river of a meaningful life…and cold beer at a reasonable price (crowd cheers) but I was scared and my legs were like stone and my arms were like lead and I said “I ain’t going! Man, I’m gonna keep on running because that’s what I know how to do, that’s what I’m good at”…and just as I was about to quit I heard a voice through the trees, I stepped in and I seen a gypsy woman sitting out in front of an air-stream trailer, I told her my problems and she said “Son, to get through these things, you need some courage and you need help...what you need is you need a band, Son!” (crowd cheers) that’s why I’d like to introduce tonight the Dean of the University of Musical Perversity, the Secretary of Intelligence, Professor Roy Bittan on the piano (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, the Secretary of Faith and Friendship, the keeper of all that is righteous on E Street, star of the Sopranos: Little Steven Van Zandt on the guitar (crowd cheers) with me, Brother, at the riverside, the foundation of the E Street nation, Southern man, Mr. Garry W. Tallent on the bass (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, the Minister of the Mighty Beat, the Secretary of Syncopation, star of Late Night television: Mighty Max Weinberg on the drums (crowd cheers) bringing the power…standing with me at the riverside, the Secretary of Heart and Spirit, Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside, Minister of Mystery, Secretary of all things unfathomable in this life, Brother Dan Federici on the organ and the accordion (crowd cheers) standing with me at the riverside…now, you can’t get there without love…I said you can’t get there without (crowd: “Love”) oh, that’s right, you’ve got to have it, let me hear it one more time (crowd: “Love”)… brunettes are fine, blondes are fun but when it comes to getting a dirty job done, it takes a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) yeah, man, I’m looking for a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) oh, man, I’ve got to find a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) I said I’m looking for a (crowd: “Red headed woman”) ah, sing it to me, baby (crowd: “Red headed woman”) come on, go ahead (Patti sings a bit of “Rumble Doll”) ooh! the First Lady of Love and Sweet Harmony (chuckles) Miss Patti Scialfa on guitar and vocals (crowd cheers) standing with me, baby…and now last but not least (crowd cheers) there was still something missing…we’ve come a long way and I can see the riverbanks and people standing along the riverside (crowd cheers) but there was still something missing…something essential…something important, something fundamental, something very big…I wanna introduce the Minister of soul, the Secretary of the brotherhood, Emperor of all E Street - do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) do I have to say his name? (crowd cheers) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”) say who? (crowd: “Clarence”)…” “I wanna be where the fans are (crowd cheers)…”
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “My Love Will Not Let You Down” **
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “Mansion on the Hill”**
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out”**
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “Where the Bands Are” **

“(chuckles) that was good (chuckles) woo, thank you…(tries his harmonica out briefly) thanks, gonna do this one for some friends of ours who are with us tonight, folks from the Alameda County Foodbank (crowd cheers) since 1985 they’ve been providing sustenance and support to the Alameda County citizens in need through a network of, uh, they have 300 emergency food- and social service agencies, they provide more than 600,000 meals a month to families that need it…and through education and active city programs they’re trying to break the cycle of poverty here… among struggling families in Alameda County so they’ll be out there tonight on your way out, you should stop by, they deserve your time and your support…this is for the Alameda County Foodbank…” “…Frisco! (crowd cheers) Oakland, California ! (crowd cheers) but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost…in confusion…I’ve seen people lost…in bitterness…I’ve seen people lost…on the cellphones… I’ve seen people lost…in the wilderness…lost…in loneliness…but we’re here tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we’re trained professionals on a search-and-rescue mission…we’re here on a search-and-rescue mission…if you’ve been downhearted, dispirited, disgusted, dispossessed, analyzed, downsized, stigmatized, fractionalized, retro-psychedelized, Pokemonized, pass-the-tax-deducts-for-rich-Republican-ised…it ain’t too late to repent, you can save yourself!…because I’m here…we’re gonna re-educate, resuscitate, regenerate, re-confiscate, re-indoctrinate, re-illustrate, re-sexualate, rededicate, re-liberate you with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery…with the ministry of rock’n’roll! (crowd cheers) that’s right…it’s alive!…that’s my job and I love doing it!...now unlike my competitors, I cannot, I will not, I cannot promise you life everlasting but I can promise you life… right now! (crowd cheers) and all you gotta do is raise your hand and say “I” (crowd and Bruce start going “I, I, I”, “J )…”
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “The Ghost of Tom Joad” (following “Working on the Highway”)**
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, middle of “Light of Day” **

“Are you ready to rumble???!!! (crowd cheers)…” //Compiled by Johanna Pirttijärvi//
 * 25.10.99 Oakland, CA, intro to “Ramrod”**